Fated to Love You
by BubblyFanatic
Summary: Just when life seems peaceful and calm in the Dauntless compound, new problems arise. The Divergent are in danger again, and Tris and Tobias' relationship starts to crumble. With everything in turmoil, will Tris and Tobias be able to survive this ordeal? Only fate can decide. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Tris POV**

It's been a year. It's been a year since I first walked into the Dauntless compound, unsure of my decision to leave Abnegation and join the ranks of the Dauntless. It's been a year since I learned that I, Tris Prior, was Divergent. It's been a year since Jeanine Matthews tried to turn Four against me. That experience has haunted my nightmares. And it's been a year since the Divergent were in danger. Things feel restless. I'm almost certain danger will stare us in the eye and threaten everything we have. But until then, I'm going to enjoy this state of peace and happiness.

Four's muscles rippled as he tightened his arms around me, enveloping me in a warm hug. I couldn't help but smile, my lips curling up in a girlish grin. My heart still did a little flip every time he looked at me with his loving, sparkling eyes. I didn't want to leave the comfort of Four and my bed, but I gently pushed apart his arms and sat up, stretching.

"Tris…" he murmured, eyes slowly opening.

"Wake up, sleepy head," I chuckled. "If only the initiates saw the mean and scary Four, lying on the bed, too lazy to get up."

He rolled his eyes but smiled. "I'm glad you moved into my house. Seeing your beautiful face makes Monday mornings so much better."

I blushed and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, Four. It's Christina's birthday today and I promised Will that I'd help him plan a party for her." He nodded sleepily.

Closing the door behind me, I raced to Will and Christina's apartment. I knocked on the door, and listened as the knock resonated through the wood. Will opened the door and frantically ushered me in.

"She's started to suspect something when I pushed her out of the room and told her to go shopping," Will said worriedly. "I hope she doesn't return too quickly."

I grinned. "Don't worry about it. She won't find out about the surprise party until we surprise her with it!" I looked around the apartment and gaped at Will's work. He had decorated the house with pale lavender, Christina's favorite color. Balloons floated around the ceiling, and banners were strewn across the walls. Soft music played from the stereo in the corner. It looked like a picturesque birthday party. But something was missing…

"Will, where's the birthday cake?"

Will stared at me, his eyes widening. "Oh no…" He murmured. I almost slapped my hand to my forehead. Of all things, Will forgot the birthday cake. But I couldn't blame him, he was worried about making this a fantastic party for his girlfriend. Will grabbed his phone and muttered a few brief words into the speaker.

"I have a friend, Jason, who works in the kitchen as a cook. Thankfully he's free today," Will explained. I gave a sigh of relief. Good. Christina's birthday won't be ruined after all. I happily collapsed into the couch, but Will dragged me into Christina's room.

"This is going to be a nice, somewhat fancy party. After all, you know how much Christina likes dressing up. So Tris, you're going to have to wear a dress," Will said. He paused when he saw my face. I hated, _hated_ wearing dresses with all my heart. "Please Tris, I know it would make Christina's day!" I sighed, conceding. All I needed to do was make Christina happy for today. Just today, and I would never have to wear a dress again. I grudgingly slipped into a strapless, shimmery red dress. I quietly admired the dress in the mirror. I still wasn't used to looking in mirrors, since Abnegation frowned upon self-indulgence… which included looking at one's own reflection in the mirror. But now that I'm Dauntless... I grinned, enjoying my new freedom.

It was a really pretty dress, and if I weren't Tris Prior, I would have loved it. Too bad I was me, the Dauntless girl who hated dressing up. I slipped into high heels that Will had handed me. They were a big change from the sneakers I used to wear, and I had trouble walking in them. Oh well. I kept in mind that it was Christina's birthday, and decided to suck it up and make her happy.

When I walked back into the living room, there was a young man standing and talking to Will. He had sapphire blue eyes, brown hair, and a slender figure. His cheekbones were prominent, and he was definitely not ugly. I gave him a curt nod as I staggered into the room in my high heels. Will's eyes lit up.

"Thanks Tris! I knew that you'd be willing to wear it for Christina!"

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. "Of course."

The man walked over and chuckled. "You must be Tris. I've heard so much about you…" He trailed off, looking at my dress. "I've heard a lot about your fearlessness and how you ranked first, but I never heard about how beautiful you were." He said, giving me a charming smile. He didn't say it, but he was also obviously expecting a tough, muscular girl, and not one wearing a dress and high heels. Nonetheless, I blushed at his small compliment. Will jabbed him with his shoulder.

"Be careful with your words, Jason," he joked, "Tris has a nasty mean boyfriend." I laughed and Jason got to work, gathering ingredients. Within an hour, he had baked a fancy, multi-layered cake.

"A cake worthy of Dauntless," I murmured, gazing at the enchanting layers of frosting. Will was also beaming.

"I can't wait for Christina to get back!" He cheered. Will made a few calls to his friends, and everyone started to arrive at the apartment. Four and I ducked behind a sofa and waited for Christina to return home. Will turned off the lights, and we hid in silence.

When the door creaked open, and Christina turned on the lights, we jumped out and screamed, "Surprise!" Just like a classic surprise party. Nothing special, but it felt like we were all a family. Just being with my fellow Dauntless friends made me feel right at home.

As the clock struck midnight, the music dimmed, and the beer bottles grew in number. We all joked around. Eager to get home, however, I tapped Four on the shoulder and asked him if he was ready to leave. I opened the door to the apartment, revealing gusty and freezing cold winds. Shivering, I closed the door again.

"Yikes, it looks cold outside," I muttered.

"Do you want my jacket?" Four offered, pointing at the leather jacket he was wearing.

"No it's okay, I'll just borrow one of Christina's," I replied. I didn't want Four to be cold either. I strolled into Christina's room and hunted for a jacket in her vast closet. I finally found a grey coat that was nondescript and blended in with the Dauntless tradition of dark clothing.

I stepped out of the closet, preparing to walk back into the living room. But the alcohol I had earlier was starting to affect me, and I staggered, tripping over my high heels. I felt myself falling down, but I couldn't do anything to save myself. I prepared myself to hit the tile floor, but the impact never came. I was wrapped in warm and safe arms.

Opening my eyes, I found myself looking into Jason's deep blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worried.

"I'm fine," I replied hesitantly, before standing back up. "Thanks." As I stepped around Jason, however, I saw Four' familiar figure framing the doorway. I realized that he probably saw me lying in Jason's arms, and I felt a flash of alarm.

"Four!" I called, walking towards him. His silhouette disappeared, and I quickly ran after him. "Four!" I yelled again, but he was sprinting away, pushing past the hordes of people in the living room. "Four, come back!"

But he was gone, whisked away in the gusts of wind. Right before the apartment door slammed shut, I saw him turn back and give me an expression of anguish and heartbreak.

"Four…" I cried, sinking to my knees. A warm hand rested on my shoulder.

"Tris, he'll come back. Come inside, it's cold outside," Jason said. I shoved his arm off my shoulder, turned around and glared at him.

"Don't touch me."

Throwing off my high heels, I raced barefoot into the soft snow. I needed to find Four and clear things up. Because I don't know what I would do without him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tris POV**

I ignored the astonished looks from the initiates. I didn't care that they were wondering why Tris Prior, one of the top Dauntless officers, was running through the Pit with tears streaking down her face. In the distance, through the snow storm, I saw a train headed towards me. Jumping on top of the train, I crouched inside, brushing the snowflakes off of my face. Where could Four be?

I leaped out just as the train passed the Ferris wheel. Running against the icy wind, I spotted Four leaning next to a tree near the Ferris wheel. "Four!" I shrieked. When he didn't look up, I worried that my words were carried away by the wind. "Four!"

He looked up as I almost reached him. Seeing the tears on his face almost shattered my heart. His eyes were soft as they stared at me.

"Why are you here?" He asked. "Why don't you go back to Jason?"

I froze. "Four, please, you misunderstood! There's nothing between me and Jason, heck, I only met him today!"

"You were in his arms, Tris. Your eyes were looking up at him as if he was your knight in shining armor!"

"Four, I tripped and he caught me!"

"That doesn't explain the way you looked at him!" he said, yelling over the wind.

I grew angry. "If you prefer that he wasn't there, and I hit my head on the floor and got a concussion, so be it!" I screamed back.

"Why are you being so difficult! That's not what I meant and you know it!" He was furious.

"Four, why are you trying so hard to get rid of me! Why do you keep pushing me to Jason!" I screamed back, tears streaking down my face again.

"Stop being immature!"

"Don't accuse me of cheating on you when you don't know the facts!"

"I don't need to hear how handsome you think Jason is. I don't need to hear it!"

I glared at him, crying and angry at the same time. He glowered at me, before turning on his heels and running into the storm.

"Four! Come back!" I yelled, "I'm sorry!" But all I could hear was the roar of the wind. I sank to my knees. Why was I so hot headed all the time? If I hadn't been so defensive, I might not have angered Four. I put my hands on my face and sank into the snow. Did I just ruin everything? Weeping uncontrollably, I staggered and fell face first into the snow, blacking out.

I woke up in the infirmary, to the sound of voices arguing. Blinking, I slowly focused my eyesight on Christina, who was standing in front of me.

"Oh my god, Tris! You finally woke up! Are you okay? What the heck happened! Are you feeling alright?" She fussed. Will was standing on the other side of me, arguing with someone. There was someone holding my hand but I couldn't see who it was. Did Four come back to me?

I craned my neck to the side, despite the pain that shot up my spine. I almost started crying again when I saw that it was Jason holding my hand, not Four. I yanked my hand away, and sat up, ignoring the pounding in my head.

"Where's Four?" I croaked. Will stopped arguing with Jason and looked at me.

"I was hoping you'd know. And what were you doing in the middle of a snow storm? If it weren't for Jason, you would have died of hypothermia."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

Jason's despicable voice floated into my ear. "I saw you lying down next to a tree, and carried you back. I was worried about you."

My growing anger led me to turn away from him. I didn't even stop to wonder why he was at the Ferris wheel, or how he knew I was there. If it weren't for that guy, me and Four would be happily eating breakfast together. I zoned into what Christina was saying.

"—And running into the snow storm too! If you aren't going to think of yourself, at least think of me! I went to your apartment to wake you up this morning, and I almost fainted when the little Candor initiate… I forget her name… but she told me that you were in the infirmary! Dying of hypothermia and whatnot! Geez Tris, you are so worrisome! I don't even know what—"

I sat up straighter. "Wait, Christina, you went to my apartment?"

Christina raised an eyebrow at me. "Does hypothermia injure the brain? You seem a little slow today, Tris."

"Christina, please stop acting like a Candor. My head's pounding. But did you see Four at our apartment?"

"No Tris, he was already gone, training the initiates. Why?" She saw my forlorn expression. "Oh no, did you guys get in a fight?"

I sighed. "Maybe he doesn't want me after all." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jason perk up. I didn't know it was possible to hate someone as much as I hated Peter during the initiation process, but I hated Jason with a passion. Swinging around, I slammed my fist into his nose.

Will leaped up in surprise, and Christina gasped. Blood gushed out of Jason's nose. "Go get a nurse to fix him," I said reluctantly. I almost added, "or let him bleed to death", but no matter how much I hated him, I could never wish death upon anyone. I pulled out the tubes and needles that were attached to me, and climbed off of the infirmary bed. Christina was calling for me to come back, but I was determined to find Four.

Five steps outside the door, however, my head throbbed uncontrollably. I held my hands out to steady myself, but I was already falling towards the floor.

I opened my eyes to the bright lights of the infirmary again. Groaning, I sat up. This time, my arm was feeling sore too. I guess I had landed on it as I fell. Looking around, there was no one in my hospital room. Will and Christina were probably attending to Jason. I really need to get my temper in control. I'll have to apologize to Jason soon.

The door creaked open, and my heart leaped at the thought of Four. Looking up, however, I only saw a nurse. I heard a commotion down the hallway, and wanted to get up and investigate, but thought better of it. After all, the last time I tried to escape the infirmary, I collapsed in the middle of the hallway. Tris Prior, ranked first, collapsed face-first into the dirty infirmary floor. This will do wonders to my reputation. Sighing, I subjected to the nurse's needle and drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, after I woke up and the throbbing in my head was gone, Christina came to visit me again.

"Tris, you should probably go apologize to Jason or something. He's in bad shape. And please do something about Four. I know he's got a fiery temper, but really! He acts like a kid sometimes!" She chided.

"I know, Christina, I will apologize to Jason. I didn't mean to hit him, but I was upset. Anyways, how can he be in bad shape? It's just a broken nose," I said, before I realized what she said. "Wait, what did you say about Four?"

"He came back around noon and the Candor initiate—who's name I still can't remember—told him that she heard that you were in the hospital, badly injured. And she also heard that it had something to do with Jason. Being the Candor she is, she blabbered all of it to Four without even thinking. Stupid girl. And Four jumped to conclusions and thought that Jason beat you up, so he went and beat the living daylights out of Jason. Now Jason's sitting in the infirmary with a broken nose, broken arm, and bruises all over his body."

I was too dazed to express sorrow at Jason's injuries. Four came back. And he cared about me. He still cares about me. I breathed a sigh of relief, and Christina looked at me quizzically.

"Tris, Jason's in really bad shape… it isn't something to be happy about. I thought you said you didn't mean to hurt him."

"I didn't! But Christina, Four came back for me! He did! He doesn't hate me after everything I said…" I trailed off, grinning.

"Right! You still didn't tell me how you guys got into a fight." She remarked, eyes lighting up at the gossip.

"Oh it's nothing. The important thing is, he's back. I can't wait to see him," I said, delighted.

Christina smiled, "Alright. I'm going to go check on Jason. Will's working with the new batch of Dauntless-born initiates, and I want to watch him." As she shuffled out, I heard her bump into someone.

"Oops, sorry!" I heard her chuckle, before the click of her high heels disappeared down the hallway. Wondering who my visitor was, I craned my neck and stared at the door. Two black sneakers appeared, and then the rest of him was in view. Four.

I wanted to yell and scream and hug and kiss him, but I refrained and sat stoically. "Hey," I greeted.

"Tris…" He murmured. He looked like he wanted to say more. Instead, he sat down at the chair next to my bed.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded slowly.

"You came back," I stated simply.

"I know, I couldn't—I couldn't leave you," He replied. I could feel the tear ducts in my eyes wanting to give up the salty tears they were holding, but I refused to let them release a flood of tears. I knew that Four found it difficult to express his emotions, so I waited.

"I was—I was so mad when I saw you with Jason. You know, I was furious. I wanted to beat him up so bad. Because you were with him and I was so—so afraid of losing you." He choked up, and I wanted to hug him and comfort him. He grasped my hand.

"I'm so scared of losing you. My life would be empty without you, Tris, and I couldn't bear it. I ran, and when you came back to look for me, my heart broke because I was worried you wouldn't be mine anymore. You wouldn't be my Tris." I was crying freely now, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I would never leave you, Four. I could never love anyone else."

He nodded slowly, his soft hair tickling my face. Our lips met. "I love you so much, Tris."

If this was heaven, then I will never be afraid of death.

**Thanks so much for all of the great feedback! I have some drama planned, but I couldn't help but give Four and Tris a sweet little moment here. Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint! It's going to take a while to build everything up. I'm actually still deciding if this is going to be a fluffy Tris/Four story, or if I'm going to set them on a dangerous adventure of some sort. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks :) R&R!**

**~BubblyFanatic**


	3. Chapter 3

**Tris POV**

After the nurse declared that I was healthy and ready to leave, Four and I went to watch the initiates train. Four had taken the day off from work to care for me, so he left the initiates to train under an Erudite-born, Julia.

Our fingers interlocked as we walked to the arena. I couldn't help but smile. Soon, seven young initiates came into view.

"The next pairing is Adam and Hunter," Julia announced. Two boys stepped up and began pacing around, trying to find each other's weaknesses. Four and I greeted Julia quietly, stopping to watch the fight.

The smaller boy, Adam, was slender, while Hunter was tall and muscular. It seemed like Hunter had the advantage, but Adam ducked under Hunter's punches and nailed a kick to his chest. Hunter spun around and launched a punch towards Adam's abdomen, which hit its mark. Adam staggered for a minute, before spinning around and putting Hunter into a headlock. Hunter jammed his elbow backwards into Adam's chest, and escaped the choke-hold. Circling each other, they continued striking out.

I watched carefully, remembering my own initiation process with clarity. At the end of the match, Adam managed to pull off a victory, leaving Hunter unconscious on the floor. Julia asked us to take him to the infirmary.

After making sure that Hunter was safe in the infirmary, Four and I headed off to the dining hall for dinner. I ordered a hamburger, while Four settled for a meal of mashed potatoes and steak.

"Remember your first meal here? You had a hamburger—your very first, since you weren't allowed to have any in Abnegation," Four chuckled. I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Yeah. Christina teased me so much about it afterwards," I replied. Four's face suddenly stopped laughing and stared stonily at something behind me. I turned around, and saw Jason right behind me, his arm in a sling.

"What are you doing here?" Four growled. I blinked at him. I knew he was angry, but Four was usually calm and collected, even when he was furious inside.

"I'm a cook, and that is my kitchen. You're eating food that I cooked. Why can't I be here?" Jason replied coolly, resting an arm on my shoulder. Before I could push his hand off, Four was standing. He flicked his arm and the plate of mashed potatoes and steak crashed to the floor.

"In that case, I'm glad I get the _privilege_ of speaking to the chef," he spat. "Your food tastes absolutely disgusting."

Jason's hand fell off of my shoulder and balled into fists. I stood up, unsure of what to do.

"And I'm glad I finally get a chance to talk to the legendary Four, and let him know what I think of him. You do not deserve the respect everyone gives you. You do not deserve the name Four. But most of all, you do not deserve Tris," he announced, loud enough for everyone in the dining hall to hear.

I wanted to turn around and sock him in the nose, like I did earlier, but Four was already on his feet. He pushed Jason to the floor and prepared a punch to his face, but I quickly stopped him.

"Four, that's enough. You broke his arm already. You can't fight an injured person," I said gently, hoping he wouldn't misunderstand me. I definitely wasn't trying to defend Jason. I wanted to punch that guy almost more than Four did. But it was wrong to hurt him when he was already crippled. "Four."

He reluctantly crawled off of Jason. A few other Dauntless were already coming to help Jason stand up. "Let's go," Four mumbled. "Let's go before I hurt this piece of trash."

I nodded, before turning to Jason. "Jason, don't you ever say that again. I love Four and nothing will ever change that."

By the time we made it back to the apartment, we were both tired from the events from the day. Curling into Four's body, I looked up and kissed him. "I love you so much, Four."

"I love you more, Tris."

I happily hugged him, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, I felt as if nothing could dampen my cheery mood. As usual, I was wrong. After breakfast, Four gave me bad news. Maxwell, the Dauntless leader, had given orders for the trainers to weed out the Divergent initiates this year. A sudden flashback from the year before hit me. I was thinking back to the memories when everyone was walking around like robots, controlled by the Erudite, and ready to kill. Shuddering, I asked Four the question on my thoughts.

"What are they going to do with them?"

Four sighed, "I don't know, Tris. I don't know. But the Erudite will somehow find a way to use Divergent initiates."

"And us? What about us?" I asked frantically. I could never have stayed in Abnegation; I was too selfish. But my concern for myself and Four grew quickly.

"No one knows that we are divergent right now, except for Maxwell," he replied. "But we can trust him. Be careful and don't let anyone else find out."

Right. I remembered Four killing Jeanine Matthews and the other Erudite that night. Everyone who found out that we were Divergent was now dead. We had nothing to worry about. But it was our job to protect the initiates now.

"What do we do?"

"We wait and see. There's one divergent boy in my group this year. He's also a stiff. I'll try to protect him for now," Four said, determined. We sat in silence. The Divergent were threatened again.

My bad thoughts dissipated for a minute as Four hugged me. "It'll be okay."

Christina came bounding out of nowhere, chirping, "Tris! Tris!" She saw me and Four embraced in a hug, and she awkwardly tried to slip away. "Public display of affection…" she murmured.

Embarrassed, I let go of Four. "Shut up, Christina."

Her eyes danced with glee. "Alright, anyways! Four, Will asked me to tell you that he and a few other friends are having a game of capture the flag. They're planning to start in half an hour, so if you're interested, you should go on and meet them by the train!" Four nodded and kissed me goodbye, before strolling away. I missed him already.

"And Tris, so I heard about the announcement that Jason made at the dining hall." My heart sank, filled with the memory of the details.

"Right," I replied, unenthusiastically.

"So he likes you. Obviously. What are you going to do about it?" She asked curiously.

"Well I will never be with him. I love Four," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "I know, but you have to find a way to discourage Jason! He's a nice guy, and you guys could be good friends. But I think he really likes you!"

"Excuse me, Christina," I said, "Are you trying to defend him?"

Christina sighed, "Of course not! I'm just wondering, ya know. If you ever need any advice, I'm here! I just feel like we haven't spent a lot of time together. You're always with Four…"

"Yeah, always with Four. And I can't ever just talk to you alone," a voice said from behind me. I jumped, and turned and saw Jason.

"You're like a guy from my nightmares. Always creeping up on me," I muttered. He grinned.

"Nah, I'm the guy of your dreams, obviously. Listen, I know you think you really like Four, but I beg to differ. What do you even like about him?" Jason asked.

I turned around and saw that Christina had sneaked away. Sighing, I turned back to Jason. Well, of course, I liked _everything_ about Four. But where do I start? "Uh, well, he's, you know, hot, and—"

"So you're telling me that you like him because he's hot," Jason said.

"Um, yes, that's what I just said," I replied angrily.

"See, you don't even like him! You can't 'love' him because he's good-looking. I'm going to convince you that you don't like him. And hey, you might even find out that you like me!"

I rolled my eyes. Cocky and arrogant, for one, and _so_ Candor. "You act like a stupid Candor," I said. "You can't change anything, Jason. Leave me alone."

"Tris, I like you. A lot. And I will try my best to make you see that I'm better than Four."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I rolled my eyes and walked away. I felt his arm grab my wrist, and he spun me around until our faces were almost touching.

"Tris…" he murmured.

Disgusted, I tried to break free of his grip, but he was holding on tight. A hand came between us, and I saw Four standing next to me, pulling me away from Jason.

"Don't touch her again," he growled, before walking me back to our apartment.

"Four," I said, worrying that he misunderstood the situation again.

He pursed his lips. "I'll be back later."


	4. Chapter 4

**Four's POV**

My heart almost shattered again when I saw Tris in Jason's arms. Rage filled me and I pulled her away from him. I was ready to punch Jason and send him back to the infirmary, but Tris' expression told me not to. I could tell that she didn't want to be there with him, but she also didn't want me to hurt him. She was always the rational one. After escorting her back to the apartment, I left to go on a run.

The trees flew by as I ran. I passed the faction-less district and the Abnegation neighborhood. I passed the schools, and ran through the train tracks. Gradually, I cooled down, and my anger dissipated. I arrived back at the Dauntless compound, breathless from the run. Seeing Will munching on a bag of popcorn reminded me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I strolled over to the dining hall, placing an order for a small plate of fries. With the rigorous Dauntless training, I could afford to put on a little weight.

After half an hour, however, my meal still hadn't arrived. How long could it take to prepare a small bowl of fries? Frowning, I stood up and peeked inside the cafeteria window. No one was inside. That made the situation even more suspicious. I silently opened the door and stepped through the doorway, looking around the kitchen. It was five, an hour before dinner. The chefs were usually falling over each other trying to prepare food before dinner. Something must be wrong.

I heard the sounds of tennis shoes squeaking over the dirty tile behind me. I whipped my head to look at who it was. Before I could make out who the owner of the shadow was, a thick metal tube hit me between the eyes. Moaning, I blacked out.

* * *

My head hurt. A lot. It was pounding, and I could feel the glare of floodlights on my face. Blinking, I opened my eyes. I was about to rub my eyes with my fingers to clear the haze, but I quickly realized that my hands and feet were chained to the wooden chair I was sitting in. I blinked rapidly, before my vision cleared. Another painful throb of my head reminded me what happened. All I remembered was seeing the kitchen tiles spin around me as my head hit the floor, but where was I? I sat there silently, trying to wrestle my hands and feet free from the heavy metal chains.

I froze when I heard a malevolent laugh erupt from my left. I looked up.

"Well," I chuckled bitterly, "I can't say that I'm surprised you were capable of such an evil act, Jason."

Jason stepped out of the shadows, a grin on his face. "Well, well, well, look at what we have here. The powerful, popular Four, hogtied in a chair."

I kept my gaze emotionless as I directed my anger towards the chains.

Jason looked at my hands and smirked, "Don't bother, Four. Those chains are an alloy of a mix of titanium, molybdenum, and iron. In other words, they're completely unbreakable."

I must have let my disbelief show on my face, because Jason quickly added, "Oh, don't look at me like that. I grew up in Erudite; you would have thought that I picked up some knowledge."

I rolled my eyes. Why was I here, tied up and stuck in the same room as this idiot? _Whatever_, I thought to myself,_ I'm sure_ _he'll tell me why he kidnapped me soon enough._ Just like I predicted, a gloating expression appeared on Jason's face, and he looked like he was about to launch into a monologue.

"So, Four, you must be wondering why you're here, and—"

I glared at him. Since I was stuck here, I might as well make Jason's life difficult. And that included cutting his condescending monologue short.

"Ha, you know me so well," I remarked sarcastically.

Jason threw me a dirty look. "Shut up, Four, you're the one who's tied up."

I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't argue with that.

"Anyways, Four, as I was saying before you _rudely_ interrupted me, I'm aware that you and Tris are dating. But I didn't know that you moved in with Tris."

I frowned, trying to figure out how Jason knew that we lived together, before realizing that Jason saw Tris and I walk into my apartment. "Actually," I responded, "she moved in with me a while ago." In hindsight, I added, "There's a lot you don't know about Tris."

Jason balled his hands into fists, before releasing them. He folded his arms on top of each other, and patiently remarked, "I'll get to know her. She's a beautiful girl, Four, and like I said before, you don't deserve her."

I ignored my growing fury, and simply stared him in the eye. "I'm not going to let you get to know her. I might not deserve her, but I definitely deserve her more than you do."

"True love is insurmountable, and overcomes all obstacles," Jason declared, ignoring my glare. "But that's not the point. There is a reason I took the trouble to kidnap you. Yesterday, I heard Tris say something really interesting."

A spark of fear struck my heart. I didn't know what Tris could have said, but from Jason's malicious expression, it was probably something serious.

Jason grinned, "She said, 'Oh my, Jason is so dreamy, I wish I could be with him.'"

I let out a sigh of relief. I realized that I had been holding my breath. I calmly stared straight into Jason's eyes, waiting for him to continue. I wasn't worried; it was unlikely that Tris would say such a thing.

Jason looked surprised, before assuming a cold demeanor once again. "I'm just kidding. But that's funny, Four, you almost look relieved… is there anything else that Tris could be hiding?"

I froze again. I started beating myself up internally for letting my emotions show. Then, the full meaning of Jason's words hit me like a truck. Breathless, my heart started beating faster. The only thing that Tris had to hide was her Divergence.

"From your reaction, Four, I'm guessing that you know exactly what I'm talking about. Yesterday, I was walking to the dining hall," Jason remarked innocently, "when I overheard Tris and Maxwell talking to each other. And since Maxwell is the Dauntless leader, I was curious what he was saying. Long story short, I heard the word 'divergent' in the conversation. Being the intelligent Erudite-born I am, I quickly figured out that Tris was Divergent."

Jason paused, watching my reaction. I was petrified, but managed to scoff. "You don't have to be Erudite-born to eavesdrop on conversations."

A few seconds later, I realized that something was wrong with what Jason just said. Only top Dauntless agents knew about Divergence. How did Jason know what Divergence meant? Before I could think about it further, I felt a sharp pain. I didn't see the punch coming, but it hit me straight in the gut. Groaning, I futilely rubbed my ankles against the chains.

Jason rubbed his knuckles. "I'll have to apologize for that. I don't want to hurt you. After all, I need you for my plan."

_What plan? _I thought. I threw him a dirty glare. "Weak punch," I spat.

He shrugged. "Good, then I don't need to feel bad about it. Anyways, Four, I think you know by now that both of us love Tris. But, think about it, how much trouble would she be in, if the wrong people discovered her Divergence? I think it's safe to say that certain people would stop at nothing to hunt her down and kill her."

Jason paused, looking at my face for signs of anger, but he quickly continued with his speech, "And I'm sure that it would be in Tris' best interest if I kept that little piece of information to myself, right, Four?"

My eyes shot flames as I looked at him. "Yes," I muttered. "If you hurt her, I swear, I'll—"

"Uh-uh-uh, don't make petty little threats," Jason replied, cutting me off. "I just need you to do a few things. If you obey compliantly, I will make sure no one finds out anything about Tris."

"Are you blackmailing me, Jason?" I asked coldly.

Jason made a tsk-ing sound with his tongue. "Geez, you must have a really low opinion of me. I don't like to call it 'blackmailing'. I think it's more like a… a compromise. Except if you don't uphold your side of the deal, well, you have a lot to lose."

I jingled my hands and feet, finally freeing them from the chains. Thankfully Jason was too immersed in his lecture to realize that I had broken free. Standing up, I raised my fist at him.

"Jason, I'm sorry that I'm going to have to kill you," I said quietly. If I didn't kill him, news of Tris' Divergence would spread. I hated to admit it, but Jason was right. If anyone found out that she was Divergent, she would quickly be killed. And I would have a hard time protecting her from government officials.

As much as I hated killing, I was prepared to end Jason's life. Nothing but a stun gun could stop me now, and stun guns were banned from Dauntless compounds.

However, Jason's next words stopped me faster than a stun gun would have. He pointed at the door, and a girl stepped in the room. Her shiny brown hair bobbed in its ponytail as she walked, stopping right next to Jason.

"Four," Jason introduced, "this is Julia. I'm sure you already know her; she's helped you train initiates before. Julia is not only my little sister, she is also your new girlfriend."


	5. Chapter 5

**Four's POV**

I've been tackled in the stomach before by an 800-pound football player, (Yeah, those nostalgic initiation days…) but even that did not compare to the impact I felt when I heard Jason introduce Julia. My new girlfriend? What? My mouth fell open.

Jason smirked. "Yep, you heard right. Julia's going to be your new girlfriend."

Julia gave me a shy smile, but my mouth was too dry for me to say anything.

"What?" I choked out.

Jason sympathetically shook his head. "Julia, are you sure you want him? This guy's brain seems slower than average. Four, you know that I love Tris right? And, believe it or not, Julia's had a huge crush on you since forever, even though it's pretty hard for me to understand why she would like an ugly chunk of rock like you."

Julia blushed, but I wasn't even looking at her. "Jason, tell me you're kidding!" I murmured faintly.

His grin grew even broader. "Oh, Four, I thought that nothing could break you. Guess I found your weak point. Listen, all I want is Tris. She is my soul mate… even if she doesn't know it yet. If you want to keep her Divergence a secret, I want you to break up with her tomorrow. Break her heart into a million pieces. I'm going to be her knight in shining armor. During the tough times in her life, you will be absent, and I will be there for her. I'm sure she won't be able to resist my charm," Jason announced confidently.

I felt faint and dizzy as I listened to Jason continue. "And, then I thought, 'Jason, you're being selfish. Why not make this a win-win situation?' That's where Julia comes in. Since she told me about her crush on you, why not make her dream come true as well? So after you break up with Tris, make sure you ask Julia to be your girlfriend. Do it in an elaborate manner and make it all romantic, alright? And trust me, if you hurt Julia in any way, she'll tell me, and I'll make sure I find a way to hurt you. Do you understand, Four?"

I numbly felt myself nodding. How did I get into such a mess?

Jason smiled, satisfied. "Then get out of my sight."

Dazed, I shook my head. A dizzying wave of nausea hit me when I returned home. How in the world was I supposed to break up with Tris? I shook my head, feeling a headache coming on. If I didn't break up with her soon, Jason would hurt her. I would have to break up with her quickly and painlessly. Breathing slowly, I tried to get some sleep before I shattered both mine and Tris' hearts.

* * *

I felt a gentle nudge. Blinking, I turned to focus my gaze on Tris. Her perfect lips arched into an "o" shape.

"Four! Your eyes are so puffy and red… are you feeling okay?" She asked frantically, putting her delicate hand on my forehead to check my temperature.

"I'm fine," I replied, pushing her away. Sitting up, I massaged my temples. "Um, Tris… do you want to meet me by the waterfall after lunch today?"

I watched her frown for a minute, trying to remember which waterfall I was talking about. Last month, I led her to a waterfall at the outskirts of town. We had a romantic picnic there, and that was one of the happiest days of my life. Soon, it would become one of the worst days of my life…

Shaking the thoughts away, I nodded as Tris agreed. "Alright, see you soon," I murmured half-heartedly, before getting ready to train the initiates. Trudging, I passed the dining hall without a second glance. If I tried eating anything now, I'd probably end up throwing it back up.

Stepping foot into the training room, I directed the pack of initiates to the metal basket of knives. The poor kids didn't know what was happening. I asked them to throw the knives again and again, each thud worsening my bad mood. I pushed them harder and harder, extending practice two hours longer than usual, and they all looked ready to drop dead from exhaustion. Waving a hand at them, I released them from practice.

Time is a funny thing. When you are excited for something, like your first day of initiation or your first legitimate Dauntless party, time seems to pass by really slowly. Yet, when you are really dreading something, time races by, speeding away quickly, too quickly. Well, before I knew it, it was lunch time. And that meant, it was my last day with Tris. The last day she would look at me without feeling hatred at the guy who broke her heart.

She was already sitting down by the waterfall, laughing at the butterflies dancing around the bright purple flowers. I quietly approached her from behind, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Four," she said contently. It wasn't a question or statement, more like a happy sigh.

"So Tris, I actually have something to tell you," I started quietly.

She raised an eyebrow at me, before breaking into a smile, "I know, or you wouldn't have asked me to come all the way here. Can you believe the traffic on the train today? I couldn't get out of the train quickly enough, so I had to run the mile to get here instead. Would you believe that—"

Tris continued playfully complaining about the other delays in her journey. I poked at the grass, unsure of what to say.

"Tris," I interrupted at last. She stopped talking and gazed at me.

"Yep?"

I paused, before deciding to bite the bullet. "I don't think that… we're working out."

She looked confused, and I almost wanted to break down and cry. _Don't ask me why; I won't be able to answer that question._ "Wait," she said slowly, "why would you think that?"

"Uhh… well… um…" I stuttered awkwardly.

"Four, we both go into the Dauntless gym and lift weights every single day. While you're training the initiates, Christina and I go out on jogs. I think we're both working out a lot. Abnegation definitely wouldn't have allowed us to work out this much and gain muscle."

I gaped at her, trying my best not to fall into a fit of laughter. Taking a few deep breaths, I looked at her seriously. Her smile turned upside down when she took in my solemn expression.

"What is it, Four? If you're worried about your muscles, I can truthfully tell you that you are buffer than any other guy in the entire Dauntless compound."

"No, Tris, it's not that. I didn't mean that we were working out our bodies… I meant that our relationship isn't working. I think—I think we need to break up."

Tris slowly stood up, blinking rapidly. "I don't understand…"

"Tris, it's not you, it's me. I don't really like you that much anymore." _Which is a lie. It's a lie, Tris… if only I could tell you the truth._

Her eyes watered, and a single crystal tear dropped from her eye. "Four, I th- I thought we were forever. We promised each other that we would love each other forever…"

Watching Tris' sorrow, I broke internally. Mustering up the strength, I firmly stated, "Tris, I don't like you anymore. We need to break up. Now."

Biting my lip, I walked away, not allowing myself to turn back. _Tris, I didn't mean it. I love you. Please understand… I hope you find someone better than me. _

I felt a hand on my arm, and I turned around to see that Tris had followed me.

"Four," she said softly, "I thought you were going to do something special for me today., since it's our one year anniversary. But—" she sniffled, before continuing, "if you don't like me anymore, that's okay. I hope you find happiness with someone else…"

She turned around and ran away, accidentally kicking dirt from the grassy field into my face. I looked up and saw clouds gathered into clumps throughout the sky. Sinking to my knees, I sat there and cried. I didn't care who saw me. I didn't care that anyone saw Four, the big badass, crying. I was heartbroken. No, my heart wasn't just broken. It was shattered, shattered beyond repair. The rain slowly washed the dirt off of my face, and was starting to soak through my t-shirt, but I stood there in the cold rain, clasping my hands into fists. What had I just done? And more importantly, what would happen next? I was too tired to play any more of Jason's games.

**Well... I really can't pretend I'm proud of this chapter... and I apologize for putting up such a bad chapter, but I wanted to get this chapter out on time. I'm suffering from a mild case of writer's block, so I doubt I'll be able to get the next chapter up soon, but if you guys have any ideas, feel free to drop a review! The help is welcome :) Thanks so much!**

**~BubblyFanatic**


	6. Chapter 6

**Tris' POV**

I swear that I could hear my heart cracking—shattering into a thousand pieces—as I ran away from Four. Away from the guy who was the only reason tears were streaking down my face. The rain drenched my clothes, but I kept running.

_Four, I gave you everything I have. I gave you my trust and my love. Why wasn't it enough? Why did you have to break up with me on our one year anniversary? _The thoughts clashed in my head as I sprinted away. I was numbly aware that the rain had stopped and the sun sinking down the horizon. As my muscles began to ache, my mind became murky.

"Tris!"

I frowned. Was I imagining things?

"Tris! Wait!" _That sounds like Four. _I turned around, frantically searching for Four.

"Tris!" A silhouette came running up to me. Looking closely, my hopes sank as I realized the mysterious person was Jason.

"Hey…" I greeted half-heartedly.

"Tris, hey, how are you?" He took a look at my tear-stained face and reached to give me a hug. I dodged his arm, shrinking away.

"I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes. "Please, Tris, I may only be a cook, but I grew up in Erudite. I have brains, you know. You're obviously hurt."

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "Astute observation, Jason. I'm proud of you."

His deep blue eyes grew wide and hopeful. "Really, Tris? You're proud of me?"

I almost felt bad as I shook my head. For someone in Erudite, he was a little on the… dumb side.

Jason looked a little downcast, before he turned his attention to me again. "So, what happened anyways?"

"Four broke up with me," I replied quietly. There was no use in keeping it a secret; if Four didn't like me, there was nothing I could do about it. However, I couldn't help but harvest the small hope that Four still liked me.

"What?" Jason exclaimed, clearly surprised. "Are you serious? Tris, don't worry. I'll definitely help you get revenge. I swear I'll knock him out next time I see him. I can't believe he had the nerve to—"

"Don't worry about it Jason," I interrupted. "This is between Four and I, and there is no need for you to get involved."

"But—"

"No buts, Jason. Besides, it's not his fault he doesn't like me anymore."

Jason's eyes grew round, before he placed an arm around me. "Don't you dare think like that Tris! You are perfect just the way you are. It's not your fault Four can't see your beauty and intelligence."

I rolled my eyes, wiping away the tears on my face. "I wasn't thinking about that until you mentioned it. Thanks."

"Tris, that's not what I meant, I just wanted to—"

"It's okay." Why did Jason always act so weird? He was always afraid of offending me or something. "Well, Jason, I have to go now…"

"Let's go get a bite to eat at the cafeteria _together._ I'll make you some lasagna!" He suggested cheerily, putting an emphasis on the word "together".

"Um, no, that's alright. Thanks for offering though," I responded awkwardly.

"No, I just came up with a new recipe! You have to be the first to try it!" Jason insisted. Sighing, I gave in.

"Alright."

We slowly made our way to the Dauntless compound. I was limping after overworking my muscles on my long run. Jason served up a beautiful dish of lasagna. In all honesty, it was delicious. I couldn't help but smile after eating it. Jason really knew how to cheer me up.

"Hey," Jason said casually, after watching me eagerly finish the lasagna.

"Mhm?" I asked, chugging ice water in a very unladylike manner.

"Just saying… and I know that you just became single… but I really, really like you. Honestly. I like you more than Romeo liked Juliet."

Freezing, I looked up, making eye contact with his sapphire eyes. "Um, Jason, I—"

"I know it's too quick. I just wanted to let you know," he replied simply, before standing up. "I really enjoy your company, but it's six o'clock already and I have to start making dinner for everyone else. Thanks for taste-testing my lasagna! See ya later, baby." He winked at me before running off.

I watched him leave, before taking tiny bites of a slice of key lime pie. The events of the day were catching up with me, and I was ready for a good night's sleep. Before I could reach my apartment, however, Christina appeared out of nowhere.

"Tris! Jason told me what happened and asked me to comfort you… oh my god, are you okay? I can't believe Four!"

"Jason told you?" I replied absently, "How nice of him. I never knew that he was so thoughtful…"

Christina just gaped at me, before snapping her fingers close to my face. "Girl, wake up! Do you hear what you're saying? You sound like you're falling for Jason."

"What if I'm tired of loving Four. Maybe I just want to like someone else," I mumbled quietly. Christina gasped.

"Tris! Snap out of it! Don't give up on Four. I bet he still loves you!"

"Yeah right," I replied quietly.

"Okay," Christina said, sighing. "You can _consider_ giving up on him. But you have to do one thing first: confront Four and ask him if he still likes you. I just don't believe that he can suddenly stop liking you."

I nodded absentmindedly.

Christina grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Tris Prior, do you hear me?"

"Yes, yes I do! I'll do it later, I just need to—"

"No, Tris. Do it right now." Christina sat down in front of my apartment door. "I'm not letting you go inside until you come back and tell me Four's answer."

I groaned. "Fine."

As I trudged to the Pit, I asked myself two things: _Where in the world could Four be?_ and _Tris Prior, why in the world did you let Christina talk you into doing this?_

I suddenly bumped into a tall, lean guy. Looking up, I quickly realized it was Four. At the same time, we began to apologize to each other.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to… I mean, I accidentally… Wasn't looking where I was going…" I blabbered, letting the words spew out of my mouth.

"Oops, sorry, didn't see you there… too crowded here… no, it's totally okay… hope you're alright…" he said simultaneously, looking almost as flustered as I was.

"Well, I have to go. Bye." Without turning back, Four quickly pushed his way through the crowd. It took a while for my brain to register what was happening.

"Wait! Four! I—I have to talk to you."

He stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned around. I gently pushed him away from the crowd, and into a quieter section of the crowd.

"So…?" He asked expectantly, after a few minutes of silence.

"Umm, about today…" I replied awkwardly.

"Yes?"

"Four…" _Come on, Tris, you can do it. Muster up the strength! _"Four, did you really stop liking me?"

Four gazed deep into my eyes before responding. "Yes. I may have liked you before, but I don't like you anymore. And I never will like you again."

Tears threatened to well up in my eyes, but I angrily shook my head. "Four! I don't believe it… there must be a reason you broke up with me!"

"Tris, I really don't like you anymore." Four turned around and began to walk away. Impulsively, I quickly chased after him. Wrapping my arms around him, I hugged him and held him tightly.

"Four…" I cried into his leather jacket.

"Tris. I don't like you anymore because I like someone else now."

I shook my head frantically.

"Tris, I like Julia now. She's so beautiful and smart… why wouldn't I like her? I've finally found someone worth my time." He grasped my hands, before pushing me away.

"Good bye, Tris."

He vanished before I could respond. This time, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. _He said that he finally found someone worth his time… does that mean I wasn't worth his time? How could he do this to me? How could he throw away our love like that? What does Julia have that I don't?_

A few hours later, I found myself walking back to my apartment. Christina was sitting next to my apartment door, leaning her head against the door. She must have fallen asleep when she was waiting for me.

"Christina," I said gently, tapping her on the head. She groggily woke up, before bolting upright.

"Tris! You're back! What did he say?"

"He says… he says that he doesn't like me anymore. He likes Julia now."

Christina froze in shock. "What? I don't believe that! Why, I'm going to go ask Four myself! Right now!"

"No!" I protested, standing in Christina's way. "It's too late tonight anyways…"

Christina observed my tired appearance, shaking her head at the bags under my eyes. "Alright Tris, but I'm going to go find Four tomorrow. And you won't be able to stop me."

I rolled my eyes, pushing her out of the way. "Okay, Christina, I'm going to bed now and 'you won't be able to stop me'," I mimicked jokingly.

As I lay in bed, trying to sleep, I couldn't help but wonder about Julia. Why did Four choose her over me? And yet, my last thoughts before drifting off into sleep were about Jason's kindness towards me.

**Sorry, I meant to upload this chapter last week, but things were hectic and I completely forgot. Oh well... back to updating on Fridays! :) This chapter is a bit of a filler. I'm still trying to decide what will happen. Maybe I'll turn this story into a Tris+Jason... you never know ;) As always, R&R. **

**~Bubbly Fanatic**


	7. Chapter 7

**Four's POV**

"Rise and shine!" a feminine voice called happily, opening up the curtains in my apartment.

"Tris?" I murmured groggily. I blinked my eyes open, only to see Julia sitting cheerfully on my bed.

I screamed. "This must be a nightmare…" I muttered, closing my eyes again. "I can't wait to wake up."

Julia threw a pillow at me. I opened my eyes again and saw her wearing a pouty expression. "Jason said that you're going to ask me out soon."

Groaning, I felt another headache coming on. "Mmmpf," I protested, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"He said that if you don't listen to him, he's going to beat you up."

"Honestly, Julia, I'm the best Dauntless fighter," I responded, standing up. _But all the same… I better listen to Julia. Jason has leverage—he has knowledge of Tris' divergence. _I stretched, and noticed Julia watching me with sparkling eyes. Looking down, I realized I was shirtless. "Oh, um, excuse me, I'll be back later," I mumbled awkwardly.

"I like your six pack!" she called behind me. Rolling my eyes, I threw on a shirt and brushed my teeth. What in the world happened to Julia? She used to be so quiet and shy, but now that Jason had blackmailed me into agreeing to be her boyfriend, she was bold and audacious. I had liked her gentle innocence, but now I could feel hatred bubbling up inside of me.

"Can we go to breakfast now? I'm hungry," she complained, while I took my time showering. I remembered that Julia was a few years younger than me. _Screw you, Jason. Why would you make me date her? She's like a kid._

"Go ahead, I'll find you later," I said coldly, pushing her out of my apartment. _I miss Tris so much._

Julia's sickly sweet perfume lingered in my apartment, so I threw open all of the windows and sprayed Febreze everywhere. Grabbing my keys, I strode out of my apartment…

…only to be tackled by Jason. "Why was Julia walking to breakfast alone?"

I threw him off me. "Overprotective, much?"

"I thought we had an agreement," he hissed.

"We do."

"If you don't ask her out today, I swear I'll—"

I crossed my arms. "You'll what?"

Jason's eyes flashed and he glared at me dangerously. "I know your weakness. I'll hurt Tris."

I held his gaze and replied venomously. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, I shoved Jason up against the wall. "You won't hurt Tris. If I see her crying, I'm going to find you. And you're going to be crying too—for your mommy."

Seeing a streak of terror laced in Jason's blue eyes, I let him go, satisfied.

I turned to leave, but Jason's words stopped me. He spat, "I don't have to hurt Tris. You've already done that for me."

His taunting eyes burn holes in the back of my head as I leave. But I don't say anything or punch him in return. Because he's right.

* * *

Christina ambushed me on my way home from breakfast.

"Four—" she shouted, hesitating. "I would call you by your full name, but I don't know your last name…" Christina looked thoughtful for a minute before glaring at me. "It doesn't matter. I'm just _so_ mad at you! How could you hurt Tris like that? How could you be so cruel? Did you know how much she loved you?"

She would have rambled on if I hadn't stopped her. "Christina, you're going to have to deal with it. The truth is, I don't like Tris anymore!"

Her disbelieving expression ignited my fury. My red hot boiling anger and hatred for myself. I knew that I hurt Tris! I didn't need people to keep reminding me of it.

Christina saw the wildness behind my gaze and backed off. "Think it through," she muttered coldly, before escaping from my view.

A clang resonated as I slammed my fist into a metal locker. "Four, you asshole," I shrieked. _I'm a monster._

**Tris' POV**

The whispers haunted me. The minute I walked into the dining hall, the steady hum of whispers faded. I could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes on me as I sat down next to Christina.

I grabbed a tray of French fries and listened carefully to the gossiping murmurs around me.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"The news about Four and Tris! They broke up! And I heard that it was _tough_. Tris was crying all night."

"Are you serious? Four is the sexiest guy in the whole compound! So I have a chance now?"

"No way! I heard he likes another girl—Julia. She's like, way younger than him though."

"Wow, I never thought Four would go for the younger girls!"

"Yeah, me neither. But she's so lucky. I heard that Four has fallen head over heels for her."

A glance at Christina revealed that she had already talked to Four and the results were not encouraging. Slamming my tray down, I stomped out of the cafeteria.

It was dead silent, but as soon as I stepped out, I could hear the whispers rising again. _Oh well, let them think what they want._

I don't know how long I sat on the bench, staring out the window, but when I looked up, it was already evening. I could hear a commotion down the hallway. Curiously, I walked to see what was happening.

I pushed through the crowd and gasped at what I saw. Four was dressed up in a black tuxedo and held a large bouquet of flowers.

"Roses may be red, and violets may be blue, but those flowers will never compare, to your everlasting beauty, that's true." Four knelt down on one knee and gave Julia a charming smile.

_He was never that romantic to me_, I thought bitterly. _At least his poem sucked. Was it supposed to rhyme?_

"Julia, I don't want to declare my love with a cliché poem like that. My love for you will never change. I will love you as long as the Earth spins around the sun. Julia, will you be my girlfriend?"

I watched Julia's face break into an ecstatic grin. "Of course, Four! I love you too!" she replied enthusiastically. Then, she approached him, took the flowers, and planted a kiss on Four's lips. The lips that I used to kiss.

Four smiled and surveyed the crowd. He met someone's eyes and gave them an undecipherable look. Then, his eyes saw my horrified expression. His eyes were cold, with no hint of apology or remorse in them.

That was enough. I broke away from the crowd, tears streaking down my face. _Good job, Four,_ I thought bitterly. _You've convinced me that you don't like me anymore. I'll forget about us._

My tears blurred my vision, and a hand rested on my shoulder. I gave an irritated sigh; I could guess who it was. Looking up into bright blue eyes, I found that I was right: it was Jason.

"Tris, why in the world are you crying?"

"Don't pretend you don't know."

He shifted besides me. "Sorry, Tris. Have my sympathies."

I glared at him. "I don't want your sympathy or your pity."

Jason surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug, and I surprised myself by returning his hug. He wrapped my arms around me. "It's going to be alright," he cooed.

"I'm not a baby," I snapped. But I wasn't angry; I was happy that at least someone on this planet cared about me.

After an awkward silence, Jason cautiously asked, "I'm guessing you moved out of Four's apartment?"

I nodded numbly.

"So where are you spending the night?"

"At Christina's." I didn't mention how awkward it was. Christina and Will lived together and I was the annoying third wheeler who slept on their couch.

Jason pauses for a minute. "My neighbors just moved out last week… you could probably move into their apartment if you'd like. I'm fairly certain that the rent is pretty cheap."

_How thoughtful._ "I'll consider it."

He broke into a wide smile. "Great! That's all I'm asking. I'll be happy to see you every day!"

But both of us know that I'm going to agree, because I have nowhere else to stay.

***Covers face with hands* Sorry for not updating for so long! In all honesty, I've been writing another story, so I haven't been working on this one. It will never happen again, I promise! If you're still reading this story, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! **

**Anyways, I realized that my story's beginning to take on a Stephenie-Meyer-New-Moon-esque mopey-ness, so I'm going to try to take Tris out of her miserable depression as soon as possible... hopefully in the next chapter. **

**I know it's a lot to ask, since I haven't really been a responsible author and updating like I should be, but please review, review, review! It'd be nice to know if people are still reading this! I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, Friday at the latest. (But of course, reviews always make updates come faster... *wink, wink*)**

****I'm finally on summer vacation (thank god) and to be honest, I'm bored already. The local library is closed because they're remodeling or something, and I've run out of reading material! If you guys know any good Divergent fanfics, please suggest them to me. You can suggest your own too, I'll be sure to review them! Thanks :)**

**~BubblyFanatic**


	8. Chapter 8

**Four's POV**

After asking Julia to be my girlfriend in a sickeningly romantic fashion, I scanned the crowd for Jason. My eyes bitterly conveyed, "Was that good enough for you?" The slight, almost imperceptible nod of his head reassured me; at least Tris would be safe.

And then, I saw Tris. Her horrified, heart-broken expression shattered me. Hiding my emotions under a cold facade, I looked away. In the corner of my eye, I watched her break away from the crowd. Jason's words echoed through my head: _"I don't have to hurt Tris. You've already done that for me."_

Since then, it's been four months. Four dreadful months. Every time I saw Tris, she averted her eyes and walked away in the opposite direction. It broke my heart. But each time, a small voice inside my head whispered, "Four, you deserve it."

And the small voice was always right.

* * *

Julia's voice broke through my thoughts. "Four, sweetie cakes, will you go shopping with me?"

"No," I replied absentmindedly, wincing at the sound of my nickname.

She poked me and pouted. "I'm going to tell Jason."

I sighed. _Why does she have to whine so much. _"Fine, I'll go with you. Whatever."

My eyes were focused on Tris, who was standing on the balcony with Jason. I furiously watched as Jason cautiously snaked an arm around Tris. She stiffened, but didn't inch away. My anger flooded me and I stood up, ready to run over and punch the life out of Jason.

Julia noticed my sudden movement and followed my gaze. She grabbed my arm. "Four, Jason doesn't want you near Tris."

Normally, a little girl's complaint wouldn't have stopped me, but this time, it did. I remembered Jason's blackmail and reluctantly sat back down.

After a few more minutes, I watched Jason leave Tris. I turned back to Julia. "Hey, um, Julia, I don't feel so good…"

Julia immediately looked worried. "What? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

I almost felt bad about lying, but I pretended to wince. "Uh, it's just my stomach. It hurts. I'm going to go rest at my apartment."

"_Our_ apartment," Julia corrected. "Okay, see you!"

I staggered away until I was out of view, before stalking down the hallway. I spotted the guy I was looking for. Creeping up behind him, I shoved Jason up against the grey walls.

His surprised expression rapidly morphed into contempt.

"Hey, look who it is. It's Four. Long time no see. I've missed you," he greeted sarcastically.

My grip on his neck tightened. "Hello, idiot. Too bad I don't feel the same way: I don't miss _anything_ about you."

"Well," Jason snarled, "that doesn't explain why you randomly came up to me and hugged me."

"Oh trust me, I try to stay as far away from you as possible," I hissed. "But I'm here because I need to warn you to keep your hands off of Tris."

"Don't tell me what to do. She's my soon-to-be girlfriend. I can do whatever I want with her."

I gaped at him. He smirked. "Four, don't open your mouth that wide. It makes your face even more unattractive than usual."

"She will never agree to go out with you," I managed.

"We'll see. You broke her heart in two; all I have to do is glue the pieces back together."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. Curiously, I wondered why he was quiet, before realizing that I was choking him. Loosening my grip, I delivered a sharp punch to his gut.

Jason cringed before breaking into a wide grin. His toothy smile eerily reminded me of someone. Someone I didn't want to remember.

He saw the flicker of recognition flash across my face and his smile turned malicious. "Hmm, maybe it's time to spice everything up," he mused quietly.

_That's never good news._ "What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"I saw it on your face."

"What?"

"Four, you never asked what my last name was."

I scoffed. "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware _animals_ had last names."

Anger lit up Jason's eyes, but he calmly held my gaze and patiently waited. Finally, curiosity overcame me, and I gave in.

"Fine. What's your last name, then?"

Jason smiled his toothy grin again. "Eaton. My name is Jason Eaton. Pleasure to meet you, Four. Or should I say, Tobias?"

I felt like I had been hit by a truck. "Say… say that again," I rasped.

"I'm Jason Eaton."

"That's… that's not possible." _I'm Marcus' only son. This can't be true._

Jason simply rolled his eyes at me and attempted to leave. I pushed him back up against the wall.

"Explain," I demanded.

"Well," he mocked, "when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much, they call the stork, and the stork brings them a little baby, and—"

I flicked out the switchblade in my back pocket and held it up against Jason's neck. "Tell me the truth."

His pupils dilated with fear and the whole story came tumbling out.

"Right, so, let's not get too carried away here," he said nervously. "Um… right, so after our father, Marcus Eaton, divorced your mother, Evelyn, he met another girl. I'm sorry for Evelyn's death, by the way, it must have hit you very hard."

I looked away. Of course it had hit me very hard. But I turned back to face Jason. "Continue."

"Father fell in love with a singer named Persephone. Of course, 'Persephone' was just her stage name, and her real name was Penny Guerra. Anyways, a year later, Penny gave birth to me. When I was twelve… she passed away."

Jason swallowed, sorrow filling his eyes. "Well, I'm glad I finally got the chance to tell you. Hello, half-brother. Can I call you Toby?"

I put my switchblade back into my pocket, but I punched Jason in the face. "Never. No one is allowed to call me Toby."

_Half-brother? Jason Eaton? What?_ It was all too much for me. I turned around and raced back to my apartment. I needed time to think.

**Tris' POV**

Jason was starting to get on my nerves. He kept following me around everywhere. He even tried to hug me. But there was no room left in my heart for anyone except for Four.

Yet one day, something surprising happened. Julia came running into my apartment. "Tris Prior, I need to talk to you."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when do we even talk to each other?"

She shifted her feet impatiently. "That's not the point, Tris!" Her voice took on a whining tone. Inwardly, I sighed. _What could Four possibly like about this little girl?_

However, I complied and reluctantly welcomed her into my apartment. "What do you need?"

She sat down and made herself comfortable in my bean bag chair. "You should know that I moved in with Four."

I froze but hid my surprise. "Ah—of course."

Julia's conversational tone grew urgent. Her eyes darted from side to side. "He's returned home really late every day. I think—I think he's been in the Dauntless office. I'm worried that he's poking his nose in Maxwell's confidential files. I think he has unearthed some top secret information."

Curiosity replaced my surprise but I casually met Julia's eyes. "So?"

"I think he learned something important. And… I think he's planning on leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah, he packed a backpack full of water and snacks from the kitchen. I think he's planning on leaving on Wednesday."

_Wednesday? That's tomorrow! _"Really?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice calm.

Julia nodded slowly. I frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I love Four. Because if anyone finds out that he broke the Dauntless code and stole confidential information, he's as good as dead. And because… because you're the only one who could possibly stop him. And if you can't stop him, at least you're fully capable of protecting him. Keep him safe, Tris."

And with that, Julia stood up and left.

I sat back down in shock. _Four's leaving? Where could he possibly be going?_

But by the end of the day, I had made my decision: I was going to follow Four and leave the Dauntless compound with him on Wednesday.

**So I'm on vacation (yay!), and I went on a writing spree on the four hour plane ride, which is why this chapter is up so early! **

**Let me know your opinions on this plot twist. Doesn't it explain why Jason is so evil, though? Anyways, ****regarding Jason's mom's name... Persephone means "bringer of destruction", and her last name, Guerra, means "war". I thought that was really appropriate... ;) You'll see why!**

******I already have the next chapter written out, so I'll post it whenever I get ten reviews! So, review, review, review! Because that means I could even update tomorrow.**

******~BubblyFanatic**


	9. Chapter 9

**Tris' POV**

The moon curved into a crescent on Wednesday night. The stars shone down brightly, highlighting Four's silhouette as he crept out of his room. He looked both ways before sneaking out of the compound.

I was right behind him.

His feet silently landed on the metal top of the train. I waited for him to slide inside before jumping onto the caboose of the train. I quietly crept inside the train and kept an eye on the back of Four's head.

Surprisingly, Four leaped out of the train at the factionless district. I swallowed my curiosity and jumped out with him, making sure he didn't see me.

_If he saw me, he'd definitely send me back to the Dauntless compound._ Four ran past the factionless district and entered a heavily vegetated forest. He followed a dusty dirt path, stopping only to take brief drinks. Clutching a backpack full of water and food, I copied his movements.

We kept running until around midnight. Four built himself a fire and instantly fell asleep. The orange embers lit up Four's handsome face. _Four, you're so hot. I miss you so much. I wish I could snuggle with you… but you like Julia. I miss you so much._

My makeshift bed of twigs was uncomfortable, and I slept fitfully.

The next day, a faraway rooster filled the fresh morning air with its calls, waking me up with a start. I jerked my head up and scanned Four's camp until I saw his sleeping figure. _Thank god he didn't leave yet. Tris,_ I chided myself, _you have to be more careful. What if he left before you woke up?_

I snacked on some berries and watched him. When he stirred, we were off running again. We journeyed for days, rarely stopping for a break. Yet after a week, I was aghast when I opened my backpack and found only half of a water bottle left and a small pack of stale saltine crackers. _I'm out of food and water…_

Panicked, I frantically looked around. _I'm going to die… I'm going to die… unless I ask Four for help. But I can't let him know that I am here._

Then, just as I thought I was going to die of malnutrition and dehydration, a miracle happened, and Four seemed to be out of food and water as well. He veered off the path and walked into a nearby village.

Raising his hand in a gesture of peace, he greeted the guard by the village entrance. I strained my ears to hear what he was saying.

"Hello, my name is Four. I was just traveling by, and ran out of food. Could you possibly provide me with some supplies?"

I watched the guard nod before leading him inside.

I decided to sit down in the shade under a tree while I waited for the guard to , the days of hard traveling caught up to me, and I fell asleep. I woke up two hours later, the sun high in the sky. Blinking away my fatigue, I checked my watch. It was noon. _Damn it. How in the world did I fall asleep?!_

Approaching the village guard, I cautiously raised a hand in greeting. "Um, hello?"

The man's stern expression didn't look welcoming.

I tried again, "Uh, I need help. I ran out of food and water."

"Why are you here?" he asked cautiously.

"I was traveling."

"Were you traveling with a companion?"

I immediately thought of Four. "Oh! Um… yeah. He ran ahead to… um… scout the path ahead of us."

The man nodded slowly. "Well, your companion left an hour ago. You might want to catch up."

Fear struck my heart. _How long was I asleep?_ The man opened the gate into the village. "Come in. Rosa can give you supplies." I followed him into a village hut.

There was a middle-aged woman inside. Although she couldn't have been older than thirty years old, stress and physical labor had turned her hair grey.

She appeared to be elderly, but her bright eyes sparkled with youth and intelligence. The village guard tapped her on the shoulder. "Rosa, this is a traveler who is just passing by. Could you provide her with some food and water and send her on her way?"

Rosa nodded before turning to me. "Hello, my dear, what's your name?"

"I'm Tris."

"What faction are you in?" She noticed my bemused expression and chuckled. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I may live in the forest, but I know about society. A visitor told me all about city life."

I smiled at her twinkling eyes. "I'm in Dauntless."

She didn't look surprised. "Just like the boy who came in here before you." Rosa watched my expression before continuing thoughtfully, "you're his girlfriend, aren't you?"

I blushed. "Um, well—"

Rosa winked. "I understand. Hey, Killian, could you bring this lovely girl some crackers?"

Turning, I saw a tall, blonde boy run up with several packs of crackers. "Here, Mom."

She hugged him. "Thanks, honey. Tris, this is my son, Killian. He's 15 this year, and he's been badgering me about city life. Could you tell him a little bit about your life? I have to go, but I'll be back soon."

Killian eagerly took my water bottles and washed them out, filling them with more water.

"So, Mom told me that society is split up into factions?"

His curiosity reminded me of Caleb and I immediately took a liking to him. "Yep, she's right. We have five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Each of the factions is centered around a certain trait. For example, the people in Dauntless value bravery."

Killian was fascinated. "Oh, what about the rest of them?"

I cheerfully explained everything, including the Choosing Ceremony. I even went into elaborate detail about my own story; how I was born in Abnegation and later switched to Dauntless. A few hours later, I was dismayed when I realized that I was so caught up with talking to Killian, I lost track of time. Alarmed, I looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set.

"I'm going to lose him," I muttered to myself.

Killian watched me intently, trying to understand everything. "The guy who passed by earlier is your boyfriend, right?"

I smiled shyly. "Good job, Detective Killian."

Killian laughed with glee. "Wait, so why are you going to lose him?"

"Well, I've been following him… to keep him out of danger," I explained.

"So you're like a bodyguard?"

"Yeah, sort of. Anyways, he ran ahead of me, and now I've fallen behind because I spent too much time here. I'll never find him."

My young friend's eyes lit up. "Hey, I know these woods really well. My dad taught me how to track people through the forest."

_There's hope after all._ "Really?"

"Yeah! I'll go find Mom and ask her if I can go," he exclaimed excitedly.

I followed him to the sheep pen, where Rosa was watching a border collie herd the sheep.

Killian ran up to his mom. "Mom, Tris needs help tracking her boyfriend in the forest. Can I go with her?"

His mom nodded absentmindedly. I approached her, worry written on my face. "Rosa, it might be dangerous."

Her eyes focused on me. "Will you bring him back to me, safe and sound?"

I nodded sincerely. "Definitely."

"Go with her, Killian. You haven't been out for an adventure in ages."

Killian hugged the woman before grabbing a backpack and loading it with his own water bottles and bags of snacks. "Let's go, Tris!"

We left the village and began our journey to find Four. Ever few minutes, Killian checked the dirt path for footprints and fallen branches. "We're on the right track!" he claimed enthusiastically.

I grinned. As we got closer to Four, I signaled for Killian to be quiet.

"These tracks are new. He should be really close!" he whispered.

"Stay close behind me," I responded quietly, before tiptoeing forward. A few minutes later, I saw Four perched on a tree stump, taking a drink of water. "We found him!" I whispered excitedly. "Killian, he's right there!"

When there was no response, I turned around. Killian was nowhere to be seen.

"Killian! Where are you?" I whispered anxiously, trying to find my friend. I retraced my steps backwards, before gasping at what I saw.

A group of six bandits were dragging Killian into the cover of the trees. A man held his hand over Killian's mouth, preventing him from calling for help. His eyes were wide with horror.

"Hey! You! Stop!" I screamed, running up to the men. I slammed a punch into the first man's face, before aiming a kick to his gut. He collapsed to the ground.

I scrambled to find the man holding Killian. He held Killian in front of him.

"You can't hurt me without hurting your friend," he said in a raspy voice. Ignoring him, I took out another man before staring at the four remaining thugs. Thinking quickly, I broke a branch off from a nearby tree and threw it at the man closest to me. He gasped in shock and staggered backwards to dodge the stick. He hurtled into the man holding Killian and knocked him over. While he was distracted, I grabbed another stick and jabbed it into Killian's kidnapper's ribs. He let go of Killian and cursed.

Killian was sweating and he looked terrified. Grabbing him, I gently whispered, "it's okay, we'll be okay." However, I quickly lost my confidence when I looked up at the four grown men towering above me.

_Oh crap._ "Killian, run!" I screamed, pushing him away from me. "Run for your life!"

"But, Tris—"

"Go! Go, Killian, go!" I yelled. He took one last look at me before running towards safety.

I breathed a sigh of relief, before facing my attackers. The nearest man cracked his knuckles.

"Little girl, are you trying to be a hero?" he chuckled evilly. "Tie her up."

His henchmen approached me, trying to grab my arms. I jabbed my elbow into someone's stomach and kneed someone else in the crotch.

One of them grabbed my arms and began tying it with rope. I wrenched my hands from his grip and tried to punch his face, but he blocked my punch. He grabbed a stick and slammed it into the side of my head.

Stars began to dance around my head. My head began feeling dizzy.

"Four!" I screamed. "Four, help me!"

And then I blacked out.

**I'm so sorry for not posting this chapter earlier! My computer was having internet issues, so I couldn't access Fanfiction. I'm so, so sorry! To make up for it... I'll post the next chapter by Monday. I'm almost done writing it; I just have to edit it. **

**Right now, I'm trying to decide if Killian should be a major character or not... let me know your opinions!**

**Oh and, I finally bought a copy of Insurgent (I know, I'm awfully late). And... I have to say, I liked Divergent a lot better! But the ending was so unexpected. I can't wait for the next book! Go Veronica Roth!**

**Thanks for the support, I love you all :)**

**~BubblyFanatic**


	10. Chapter 10

**Four's POV**

The bright sun was making my throat parched. Thankfully, a drink of water quenched my thirst. I quickly put the water bottle away before standing up. _It's time to get going. The faster you find them, the faster you can get back to Tris._

As I began to run away, I thought I heard a scream. It sounded suspiciously like Tris. Straining my ear, I heard it clearly: "Four, help me!"

I immediately spun around and raced in the direction of the scream. Tris was in trouble.

Suddenly, a blonde-haired boy ran straight into me. He was panting from exertion.

Agitatedly, I pushed him away. "Sorry, I'm in a hurry," I replied in apology, before quickly continuing my sprint.

"Wait!" the boy yelled. His long legs helped him catch up to me quickly. "Are you Four?"

I nodded suspiciously. "Yeah…"

"Thank god. I was running away when Tris yelled your name."

"Tris? Running away?"

"We got attacked with bandits. Hurry, she might not be able to fight all of them."

A flash of fear struck my heart and I followed him into a clearing.

The boy's blue eyes looked worried. "They were just here!"

_Dammit._ "What do you mean?! She's not here right now!" I shouted.

He ran around, checking the nearby trees. "They went this way!"

We sprinted through the thick vegetation, before four blurs flashed in front of my vision. "Wait," I whispered. The boy skidded to a stop and watched me expectantly. I followed the figures with my eyes. Two of the men were carrying a lump—probably Tris—and they stopped and sat down near a river. "Okay," I said. "We're going to hide here and watch them."

The tallest thug, the ring leader, stood up and smirked at Tris. "I'd hate to destroy such a pretty face," he said.

He swung his right arm back and smashed it into Tris' face. I heard a sickening crack. Tris groaned. Her arms and legs were tied up, so she couldn't defend herself. The ring leader gestured towards his burly companion. The muscular man flicked open a switchblade and held it under Tris' neck. To my horror, he jerked it upwards and blood began to gush out of Tris' neck. I stared at Tris' bloody body and all thoughts of hiding vanished.

"Yo, asshole!" I screamed, standing up. Four heads turned in my direction and gaped at my sudden appearance. I took one look at Tris' bloody face and sprinted towards them.

I attacked the two closest men. Five quick punches to the stomach and an upper hook disposed the first man. The second man grabbed me in a choke hold, cutting off my air supply. I jabbed both of my elbows backwards into his chest and twisted around. Slamming my fist into his face, I watched in satisfaction as he swayed before falling to the ground.

The third man sprinted towards me and tried to tackle me, but I was ready. I danced out of the way and watched him barrel into a tree. He fell down upon impact and sat up, dazed. I hid a grin. It looked like he was hugging the tree. _What a stupid person._ Folding my arms, I glared at the Tree-Hugger.

"Four, look out!" the blonde boy screamed. I turned around just in time to see a fist flying straight into my face. Before I could dodge it, Tree-Hugger grabbed me from behind.

The punch hit me between the eyes, and stars began to dance across my vision. "What…" I moaned. Suddenly, Tree-Hugger let go and I fell to the ground.

Turning, I realized that the boy had stabbed Tree-Hugger with a thick and pointy wooden stick. Tree-Hugger was howling in pain and incapable of moving, but the ring-leader headed toward the young boy.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked calmly, before aiming a punch at his chest. I leaped onto his shoulders and kicked his stomach as hard as I could. He groaned before falling to his knees.

With the back of my elbow, I hit his solar plexus and knocked him out.

"Are you alright?" I asked the kid. He nodded.

"Dude, that was _so_ badass!" he exclaimed.

Chuckling, I couldn't help but grin. "Hey, I never asked what your name was."

"I'm Killian."

"Nice to meet you," I replied curtly, before grabbing rope from my backpack. I began to hogtie the ringleader.

"Why don't you just kill him?" Killian asked curiously.

"Think about it. He looks like a robber, but what do robbers do? They steal money. But this guy didn't even try to search us for money. They were trying to kill us. I'm going to interrogate him as soon as he wakes up."

Killian nodded, before surveying our surroundings. "Tris!" he yelled, spotting a bloody heap.

We raced up to her. Grabbing her, I brushed away her hair. Her whole face was covered with blood. It looked like she had a broken nose.

"Tris! Are you okay? How are you feeling?" I screamed frantically.

Her eyes focused on me for a second. "Four? Why are you here? Y-y-you came back for me…" she murmured.

"Of course I did!"

Tris' eyes fluttered shut.

_Oh no… oh no oh no oh no._ I placed a finger on her wrist, searching for her pulse. I let out a sigh of relief when I found it.

"Killian, Tris is alive but her pulse is weak. We have to get her to a hospital, or she's going to…" I trailed off. _She can't. She won't die. I won't let her._

Killian nodded before pointing at the ring leader. "He's conscious again."

I pursed my lips. _Do we have time to ask him questions?_ Quickly making my decision, I ran towards the man. Grabbing him roughly, I tilted his head towards me.

"Why are you here?"

"Mmph," he murmured.

"What the hell?" I screeched urgently. "Why isn't he cooperating?!" Killian pulled my arm off of the man.

"You're choking him."

I turned back to the thug and prodded him. "Did you hear my question?"

"Don't kill me!" he yelled. Seeing my glare, he immediately said, "It's not my fault! I needed the money, so I agreed to do it! He told us to kill a tall guy with brown hair and dark blue eyes, and a scar on his chin! That's… you. And he also said to kill your companions, so we jumped the girl and the kid."

I resumed my hold on his throat. "What else did he say?!"

"He said… he said to kidnap a blonde girl with blueish, grayish eyes. He doesn't want us to hurt her."

_They weren't supposed to hurt Tris… so why did they attack her? _I glanced back at Tris, before realizing the answer. After days of trekking, Tris' blonde hair picked up a bunch of mud, which made it turn brown. The thugs were looking for a blonde girl, so they didn't hesitate to attack Tris.

"One last question: who hired you?" I already had an idea of who was capable of such a cruel treachery.

The ringleader's next words proved me right: "Jason Eaton."

Cursing, I let go of the thug. "Run away before I change my mind," I hissed.

Killian watched me curiously, no doubt wondering why I had let the thug go.

"He's right; it's not his fault. It's Jason's," I answered the unspoken question. Killian nodded in understanding.

"Wait… who's Jason?"

"A complete asshole. You better hope and pray that you never meet him," I responded, before grabbing Tris. "There should be a town about a few miles from here. I'm going to carry Tris. Try to run along and keep up."

I pushed Tris on my back so that I was carrying her piggyback, before I broke into a run. A feeling of dread filled me as I realized that her pulse was even weaker than before.

"Dammit, I spent too much time questioning the thug," I muttered, before running even faster. Killian was panting next to me.

"Why are you running so fast?" he asked, gasping between breaths.

"Because Tris can't die. Because if she dies, then so do I," I replied simply.

The steady vibrations of Tris' breaths weakened and I gasped.

"No, no, no, Tris, stay with me!" I screamed.

"Tris… you can't leave me! You are everything to me!"

My feet thumped against the dirt path.

"Tris, you can't die before you find out the truth. I hate Julia. I despise Julia! I don't like her at all. I couldn't possibly like her, because I love you! You're the only person in my heart. I can't—I _wouldn't_ want to love anyone besides you."

The sun was beginning to set and the dirt path beneath me turned into grass.

"Please stay with me, Tris. You would be more evil than Jason if you left me here alone. I'd rather die than live a day without you. Tris, please," I screamed. "Tris, I love you! Don't you dare leave me!"

My tears dripped off of my face and watered the grass beneath me.

And then, Tris stopped breathing. Suddenly, I was carrying a dead weight.

"Tris!" I screamed in shock.

I bit down on my lip, drawing blood. _I need to run faster._ The trees flew by as I sprinted. After what seemed like hours, Killian spoke.

"Four," he gasped. "I see a town."

I looked up and saw a row of buildings. A myriad of houses surrounded the buildings. "Thank god," I breathed. Running up to the nearest house, I pounded on the door.

A surprised man opened the door, almost fainting at the sight of Tris.

"Take her. She needs medical attention. Hurry!" I yelled. The man looked petrified.

"We need a doctor!" I screamed again, frustrated. The man nodded before pointing at the tallest building.

"That's the hospital."

Killian and I sprinted to the hospital. I raced to the front desk. "My girlfriend is dying," I yelled. The secretary took one look at Tris before running through double doors. A few seconds later, she returned with another woman, a stretcher, and a group of medical personnel.

"I'm Dr. Wendell," the woman introduced tersely before spotting Tris. "Hoist her onto the stretcher." Her companions readily obliged.

"I'm going to need peace and quiet while I try to stabilize her," she said, before disappearing through the double doors.

The secretary pointed at a row of chairs. "You can sit there, if you'd like."

Killian tried to drag me to the chairs, but I refused. "You need to rest," he protested.

"What if Tris—what if she… what if she dies?" I moaned.

"Shut up, she's going to be okay. She's the toughest person I know," Killian replied stubbornly. "Now sit down."

"No!" I shouted defiantly, before a wave of nausea hit me. Killian caught me as I collapsed. "Make sure Tris is fine…" I murmured groggily. The world went black.

* * *

"Four."

The voice jerked me from my sleep. "What is it, Killian?" I asked, blinking away my fatigue.

"You fainted from exhaustion. Dr. Wendell is here."

I looked up and saw the stern, serious woman from before. Scrambling to my feet, I quickly asked, "How's Tris?"

"She's fine. She lost a lot of blood, and went into cardiac arrest. We revived her with a defibrillator, but her vital signs were going crazy. It turns out that she was going into haemorrhagic shock, and her right kidney began to fail. Thankfully, we started a blood transfusion before any other organs were damaged. Don't worry, she'll be able to survive with one kidney. The cut in her throat wasn't deep enough to damage the bronchial tube or esophagus, but the trauma affected her larynx. It shouldn't be too injured, though, and she can probably still talk. You need to give her time and let her rest. She's been through a lot," Dr. Wendell informed.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Tris is okay. Tris is okay," I repeated to myself.

Killian grabbed my arm. "Let's go see her."

**This has been the longest chapter so far! I hope you guys liked it :) Shout out to _absmwill_ for the wonderful, heart-warming review. It made me feel warm and fuzzy inside... and I ran around the house screaming with happiness. **

**Please review, review, review! It would make my day.**

**~BubblyFanatic**


	11. Chapter 11

**Tris' POV**

I dreamed that Four rescued me from a group of bandits. I was injured, so Four carried me on his back. He said the most wonderful things, and he even said that he didn't like Julia, and he loved me. But then, voices woke me up from my dream.

I grouchily woke up to bright lights and several people hurrying around the room. Remembering the Dauntless infirmary, I realized that I was in a hospital. _But why?_ I tried to move and suddenly, my whole body was aching.

"Mmmph," I groaned, accidentally pressing into a bruise in the side of my stomach. I tried to speak, but my voice failed me.

"She's awake!" a boy cried, running to my side. Someone else was following him.

I turned to face them and would have shouted, if I hadn't lost my voice. It was Four. _Does this mean… my dream was real?_

I could feel Four's steady gaze and the boy's—Killian's—worried glance. "Tris, how are you feeling?" Killian asked. "Are you in pain?"

I tried to say "no", but I still couldn't speak. Frustrated, I simply shook my head, and Killian's brow furrowed, before relaxing. "Oh yeah, Tris, the doctor said that you might temporarily lose your voice."

Four noticed my frown and sat down next to me. Killian looked at us before dashing out the door. "I'll bring you some food!" he called.

I focused my attention on Four. Something wasn't right. It took me a while before I suddenly realized that Four was _awkward. _He was unsure of himself and constantly fiddled with his thumbs. _He's never like this._

He cleared his throat, and said, "Tris, I, uh… I'm sorry. About Julia, and… well, everything. Uh… I hope you know that I never liked her."

And then, I decided that my dream was real. Since I couldn't say anything, I simply sat up, ignoring the pain in my back, and wrapped my arms around Four's neck.

I looked him straight in the eye. "I forgive you, Four," I whispered, before kissing him.

My lips crashed into his tender lips. He stiffened in surprise before placing his arms around me. He gently kissed back, pulling me into an embrace.

I didn't know how much I missed Four until now. My arms traveled down his back, exploring the powerful contour of his muscles.

Someone coughed. Four and I turned and saw Killian standing in the doorway, carrying red bags with a huge yellow "M" on them.

We awkwardly sprang apart. "Hi Killian," I whispered, my face breaking out into a wide smile. Killian grinned back at me.

"I can tell that you're feeling better. I bought McDonald's for everyone!"

Four groaned. "Great, Killian, we might as well embrace obesity with open arms," he quipped sarcastically.

Killian didn't even bat an eye. "If you don't want any, I'll be happy to eat your fries," he remarked, pulling out a bag of yellow, crispy fries. He purposefully slid one into his mouth, chewing slowly to exaggerate the savory taste.

"Okay, okay, hand me some!" Four relented, chuckling. Killian tossed him the fries, and Four fed me one.

Yep. They were delicious. They were fun-sized sticks of flavor.

"Aren't you happy that you transferred out of Abnegation?" Four teased. "You never would have tasted these."

_And I never would have met you._ So I nodded, perfectly content with life, even though I was attached to machines via tubes, and my bones were still aching.

* * *

After Killian left, Four and I were alone. He told me everything: how Jason had blackmailed him into asking Julia to be his girlfriend, and how Four had always loved me.

"And then Jason told me that his full name was 'Jason Eaton'. I was absolutely shocked—I never knew that I had a brother. I wanted to go to Erudite to check their birth certificates, since Jason was born there. After asking Maxwell sent me to Erudite headquarters on a mission to improve Dauntless-Erudite relations, I poked around their birth records and discovered that Jason was telling the truth: he really is my brother. Then one day… I overheard Uriah and Maxwell talking in the Dauntless office, and they were saying that Marcus is the head of government right now. Tris, did you know that?"

"W-w-what?" I whispered in shock. If Marcus is head of government… then everyone is doomed.

Four's eyes conveyed his worries. "Apparently, after we killed Jeanine, Marcus took over. Maxwell said that Marcus has been torturing and killing the Divergent. Tris, we need to be careful."

I nodded. There was a tense silence before Four continued. "I searched around the Dauntless top-secret files, and there were records of a rebellion rising up against Marcus. The records said that the rebel camp was in a forest, past the factionless district. I left the compound to find them, and I never knew that you were following me…"

There was a knock on the door, and a gray-haired man peered into the room, where Four and I were intimately tangled together.

I blushed and expected him to apologize and leave, but he didn't. He merely raised an eyebrow at Four, before calmly saying, "Tobias, I'd like to talk to you."

_What? "Tobias"? How does this old man know Four's real name?_ Four seemed unfazed by the man's intrusive audacity.

"Welcome, Joseph, we were just talking to you. Joseph, this is my girlfriend, Tris. Tris, this is Joseph, the man who is leading the rebellion. I met him while you were sleeping. Joseph, can you explain everything to Tris?"

Frowning, I observed the man. The fifty or sixty year old man had a polite expression on, but his eyes were scowling. I didn't like him, and it didn't help that he interrupted our conversation.

Joseph turned to me. "As you may know, Marcus has climbed his way up the political ladder and secured the position of head of government. Now, he basically has the power to do whatever he wants, including killing all of the Divergent. He—"

"Doesn't a leader need support?" I interrupted, ignoring Four's admonishing expression. "Marcus can't do anything without the support of the five factions."

"I was just about to tell you. Marcus has been broadcasting propaganda on the televisions. He shows fake news footage about how _amazing_, how _powerful_, and how _successful_ he is.

"Since many people have been traumatized since Jeanine's horrific attempt to control everyone, Marcus' advertisements are particularly appealing. Everyone wants a stable government. Through formal features and other marketing gimmicks, he has created a program that doesn't require his viewers to think. As a result, their gamma brainwaves disappear, and ultimately, they are mindlessly glued to the screen. He's practically brainwashing everyone," Joseph explained, glancing at me. "Of course, I don't expect you to understand the exact science behind it."

"What?!" I cried, indignant. "I understood every word that you said."

Joseph looked unconvinced.

Desperate to prove my competence, I quickly argued, "But Abnegation live without self-indulgence. They don't watch television. Marcus can't affect them."

"That's correct. However, keep in mind that Marcus was born in Abnegation. Most of the faction already reveres and respects Marcus."

_Oh… that's right. Even when they found out that Marcus was beating Four, they refused to believe it._ "So what's your plan?" I asked curiously.

"The only group of people who haven't been affected by Marcus is the factionless. They weren't given adequate food, let alone television. We've been recruiting the factionless and training them how to fight. We're hoping to raise a loyal army so that we can defeat Marcus."

"You're going to start the war," I realized in horror. "Don't you know how many people will be killed?"

"Marcus would kill even more people. We have to interfere," Joseph shot back.

I gaped at Four. "You support this guy?"

He held my gaze. "Tris, Marcus would destroy our society."

_Sometimes, I think Four is insane._

"Tobias told me that you're a good fighter. Do you want to help train the rebels?" Joseph requested, hopeful.

_Tobias?_ I suspiciously asked him, "How do you know Tobias' name?"

Four shifted next to me. "Joseph knew Marcus personally, and they were bitter rivals."

_What if Joseph is simply jealous of Marcus, and has an ulterior motive to overthrow him? What if he secretly wants to become head of government?_

Before I could refuse Joseph's request, Killian came bursting into the room. "I want to help!" he cried. "I want to fight."

Glaring daggers at him, I crossed my arms. "No. I don't want you to get hurt. I'm going to take you home in a few days."

"Actually, we'll be glad to have you. How old are you, son?" Joseph asked, ignoring my outburst.

"15," Killian replied eagerly.

"Great! You can start training with Jasmine tomorrow."

"Wha-?!" I spluttered. "Who the heck is Jasmine?"

"She's factionless, but she was born in Amity. She's been training our supporters."

"She was born in _Amity_? Amity, the faction that _hates_ fighting? And she's training everyone? Joseph, you're going to get everyone killed!" I screeched.

He shrugged and didn't respond.

I glanced at Killian's determined expression. _I can't let Killian get hurt. He would only be safe if either Four or I trained him._

"I'll help you train the rebels," I sighed. _For Killian, not for you, _I added mentally.

He didn't even say "thank you."

"We're training in the field at 10 tomorrow morning. Be there," he commanded, before strolling out of the room.

"I hate him," I grumbled, resting my head on Four's shoulder.

He looked amused. "I don't like his personality either, but you have to admit, he's a strong leader."

"And he's too power-hungry."

Four's expression turned thoughtful. "Kind of like Jason." _Like Marcus._

Killian cleared his throat. "I'm still here, you know…"

I turned a deep shade of red. _Stop blushing, Tris! _I quickly changed the subject. "Killian, I am going to kill you. Why would you volunteer to fight? That's the same as offering to _die_!"

Killian rolled his eyes. "Come on, Tris! I know that you and Four are super good fighters! I want to be like you guys."

"I don't know if I should feel flattered or worried," I muttered.

Four grimaced. "Worried. I vote that you should feel worried."

"Anyways, I booked some rooms at the hotel. We can stay there tonight. Tris, can you walk?" Killian asked, changing the subject.

As soon as I stood up, the world started spinning. Groaning, I collapsed back onto the bed. "I might need a wheelchair."

Four grabbed one and helped me to the hotel. It was a peaceful night. I was finally united with Four.

The following morning, Killian woke me up bright and early. "Come on, we have training!" he exclaimed.

Climbing out of bed groggily, I put on my clothes and consented to being pushed around in a wheelchair. Four took me to a large grassy field, where fifty adults were running laps.

A blonde woman greeted us. "I'm Jasmine, you must be Four and Tris." Her eyes barely darted past me before settling on Four. Her green eyes lingered, and I could tell that she was already falling for him.

Clearing my throat, I directed our attention to the rebels. "They don't seem to have much arm muscle… how are they going to handle guns?"

Jasmine tore her gaze away from Four. "We haven't worked on muscle strength yet; we've been focusing on endurance."

I explained a training method in detail, gesturing towards the rebels in emphasis. Suddenly, a commotion caught the corner of my eye.

I exchanged a glance with Four, and he pushed my wheelchair to the chaos. There was a man, screaming unintelligible words. The screaming stopped for a moment, and the crowd parted.

"There he is! That's Four. He stole my girlfriend!"

It was Jason.

**I know this chapter wasn't up to standards-I was suffering from writer's block. No matter how many times I tried to rewrite this, I was never satisfied. And then I looked at the calendar, and realized that I haven't updated in a while. Oops :) I'll try to make the next chapter better!**

**And... I know what you're thinking: "I can't believe there's going to be a war!" Sorry, but I wanted to include it! Let me know if you want me to describe the war in detail, or if you want me to skip it and continue on with Tris and Four's life.**

**Your reviews made me so happy. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get? Yeah, I definitely felt it :) Shout outs to: _Dauntlessvictor _and _brightdarknessx _, who gave detailed and helpful reviews. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Review like your life depended on it! Or... review like the next update depended on it!  
**

**~BubblyFanatic**


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